Canyon’s Endurace CFR garnered a lot of interest when it launched last month, with its wind-tunnel optimised design and geometry to appease professional riders.
However, the range spanned only two high-end models with a pro-race geometry. That's where the new Endurace CF SLX and CF fit in.
The Endurace CF SLX follows the design criteria of the Endurace CFR, with aerodynamics in mind – blended with comfort-enhancing features.
What Canyon has delivered here is a superbly executed road bike that blends cutting-edge aerodynamics with a ride position and feel that will have mass appeal.
It balances being a bike that’s very practical for year-round use with being quick – with swift handling and a road-smoothing ride quality. Not only is it one of the very best endurance bikes, it comes at an impressive price, too.
Read more
- Forget the Canyon Endurace CFR – the new CF SLX and CF are the bikes you should care about
- The new Canyon Endurace CFR is good, but I don’t think it's an endurance bike
Canyon Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2 need to know
- Huge 38mm tyre clearance, or 35mm with mudguards
- Aero-optimised design is a match for aero road-race bikes
- £4,299 / €4,499 with Ultegra Di2, carbon wheels and a 4iiii power meter included
- Sporty geometry designed for confident handling and stability
- One-piece cockpit can be adjusted for width and height
- VCLS carbon aero seatpost adds all-day comfort
Canyon Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2 performance
In the past, I’ve found Canyon’s bikes prioritise performance and stiffness, which usually comes at the expense of comfort – something I want from an endurance bike. Thankfully, the Endurace CF SLX 8 eschews that reputation wholly.
While this latest design is amply stiff at the bottom bracket, making it a bike that accelerates with the sort-of vigour usually reserved for a race machine, it’s layered with a smoothness at the rear that makes it excel on longer rides. Combined with the sporty geometry, it means it's fast, forgiving and a lot of fun.
Although the aerodynamics weren't as much of a priority when developing the CF SLX, Canyon claims a system-drag figure of 209W at 45kph – that’s only 4W more than the Endurace CFR (and 5W more that the Aeroad CFR).
There are plenty of practical features alongside the focus on aerodynamics. The down tube broadens just ahead of the bottle bosses to create both an aero shield for the bottle cage and allow for a large storage port that can take a multi-tool, tyre levers and a C02 pump (all included with the bike), plus a stowing bag with a spare tube and C02 cartridge.
The down-tube storage is a far more practical space than the small top-tube stowage chamber on the previous generation.
The Endurace CF SLX also gets a larger 38mm tyre clearance, or 35mm with Canyon’s Fast fender mudguards.
Up front, the new PACE one-piece cockpit offers both 50mm of handlebar width and 20mm of height adjustment. It also comes with a new ergonomic 108mm compact drop and 8-degree flare that complements the frame’s sporty geometry.
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Additional vibration-damping comfort comes in the form of the all-new, aero-shaped VCLS seatpost, which Canyon claims offers 25 per cent more compliance than a rigid post.
The wheelbase is lengthened to 1,038mm on my XL-sized test bike, from the 1,029mm on the previous Endurace. Canyon says this helps maintain the race-inspired handling, but adds a layer of confidence-boosting stability.
The 8.6kg weight might not read as particularly light, but it’s in line with Cannondale’s SmartSense-equipped Synapse Carbon 2 at 8.85kg (with lights, radar and power pack) – one of my favourite endurance bikes. The similarly specced Giant Defy Advanced 2 Pro comes in slightly lighter at 8.48kg.
The Endurace CF SLX is a great companion on climbs; the ride position enables you to sit in and concentrate on your cadence on longer uphill drags, while the stability of the longer wheelbase means out-of-the-saddle attacks and short sprints inspire confidence.
The DT Swiss ERC 1600 wheels are an OEM model (original equipment, therefore not found aftermarket) with a claimed 1,541g combined weight (including rim tape and tubeless valves). The 35mm-deep rims are paired with DT Swiss’ ever-reliable 350 hubs. The rims have a 22mm internal width and are hooked, shaping the 32mm Schwalbe Pro One tyres true to size.
The wheel and tyre combination feels lighter when riding than their middling weight might suggest, aiding the light feeling when the road starts to rise.
Descending with the new Endurace is where the fun really starts, though. The bike’s stability inspires heaps of confidence, thanks to the quick (but not twitchy) steering, the longer wheelbase and broad tyres that have tenacious grip when leaning into a corner at speed. Impressively, the bike never feels dull at speed.
On poorer surfaces, the tyres offer plenty of compliance, and the VCLS aero seatpost and excellent Fizik saddle kept my hindquarters cosseted. The new one-piece cockpit does a good job of reducing chatter too, and I like that you can adjust the width. I’m not a fan of narrow bars (which are on-trend), and being able to run the bar at a width I want without having to replace it is a bonus.
The single-sided 4iiii power meter has proven consistent. It's not as accurate because it doubles your left-leg power, and I found it measured a few watts lower than my usual Quarq unit. However, you could upgrade the power meter down the line.
Value-wise, Canyon is on the money with the Endurace CF SLX 8. At £4,299 / $TBC / €4,499, it undercuts Cannondale’s Synapse Carbon 2 at £5,995 / $6,499 / €5,899. Although Giant’s Defy Advanced Pro 2 is cheaper at at £3,499 (and not universally available in Europe or the US), it doesn’t have a power meter or electronic groupset – you’d be looking at the Advanced 0 model for an equivalent spec, which comes in at £5,499 / $6,999 / €6,500.
Even direct-to-market rival Ribble can’t get close to the Endurace CF SLX 8, with the Allroad SL R Ultegra Di2 retailing for £4,599 / $6,245 / €5,825.
At this price, it’s very hard to find a flaw with the Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2. Would I change anything? Perhaps I’d take advantage of the increased tyre clearance in the long-term and switch to one of the new breed of larger-volume road tyres such as the 35mm Continental GP5000 S TR, but even that would be gilding the lily.
The only niggle I had with the bike was the quarter-turn Garmin insert on the out-front mount worked loose, and I lost one of the tiny 2mm hex bolts. A dab of threadlock on the bolts would have prevented that. Once I informed Canyon, the brand sent a replacement insert and bolts – great customer service.
How I tested the Canyon Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2
I tested the Endurace CF SLX over a succession of four-hour plus rides across Wiltshire and Somerset, taking in plenty of ups and downs, predominantly on rural roads and narrow lanes, with the occasional unmetalled section thrown in.
I made sure to test the bike over a mix of surfaces to gauge how well the Endurace copes with less-than-optimal roads – another essential element of a good endurance bike.
Canyon Endurace SLX 8 Di2 bottom line
The Endurace SLX 8 Di2 is everything a modern endurance bike should be. It’s fast and comfortable, thanks to the combination of the excellent geometry and compliance built into the frame. It’s also practical, with proper mudguard mounts and down-tube storage.
Above all, it’s a fun bike to ride – the handling brings the ideal balance of stability and reactive steering, enabling the bike to come alive at speed, especially when descending.
That it does this at a price that undercuts its rivals, and with a near-perfect spec, makes this a five-star bike.
Canyon Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2 specification
- Frame: Carbon
- Fork: Carbon
- Weight: 8.6kg (XL)
- Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2 (50/34, 11-34)
- Wheelset: DT Swiss ERC 1600, 35mm
- Tyres: Schwalbe Pro One, 32mm
- Cockpit: Canyon CP0048 PACE bar (compact drop)
- Extras: VCLS aero post, Canyon multi-tool, CO2 pump, cartridge, TPU tube, tyre levers, storage bag, out-front mount, single-sided crank-arm based 4iiii power meter
